“Traitor’s Blade” by Sebastien de Castell (Jo Fletcher Books)

An all-round brilliant fantasy debut, and one of the best I’ve read in a decade.

Falcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King’s Law. They are heroes. Or at least they were, until they stood aside while the Dukes took the kingdom, and impaled their King’s head on a spike.

Now Tristia is on the verge of collapse and the barbarians are sniffing at the borders. The Dukes bring chaos to the land, while the Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters.

All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission. But if they have any hope of fulfilling the King’s dream, the divided Greatcoats must reunite, or they will also have to stand aside as they watch their world burn…

Every so often, a debut novel comes along that knocks your expectations out of the park. Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamorra is one of those novels. Peter V. Brett’s The Painted Man is another. Sebastien de Castell’s Traitor’s Blade needs to be added to that list. I loved this.

“Bloodsworn” by Nathan Long (Black Library)

The final novel in the Ulrika the Vampire trilogy

Returning to Nuln after her adventures in Praag, Ulrika finds the Lahmian vampires preparing for war. Across the Old World, their rivals, the sinister von Carsteins, attack their strongholds and lead the witch hunters to their hidden lairs. Spurned by her sisters, Ulrika forms an uneasy alliance with the von Carsteins in a plot to destabilise the Empire by striking at its very heart – they plan nothing less than the assassination of Emperor Karl Franz. With enemies on all sides and the Empire in flames, Ulrika must decide whether her future will see her living among the humans, or as their enemy.

This is the final installment in Nathan Long’s Ulrika series, and it goes out with one hell of a bang. It runs the gamut of the fantasy genre – moving from urban-based mystery to epic battles and exaggerated magical conflict. It’s tightly plotted, populated by engaging and interesting characters, and is a great end to the series. Long is still one of my favourite fantasy authors, and I am a little sad to be saying goodbye to Ulrika.

“The Alchemist of Souls” by Anne Lyle (Angry Robot)

Book One of Night’s Masque

When Tudor explorers returned from the New World, they brought back a name out of half-forgotten Viking legend: skraylings. Red-sailed ships followed in the explorers’ wake, bringing Native American goods – and a skrayling ambassador – to London. But what do these seemingly magical beings really want in Elizabeth I’s capital?

Mal Catlyn, a down-at-heel swordsman, is seconded to the ambassador’s bodyguard, but assassination attempts are the least of his problems. What he learns about the skraylings and their unholy powers could cost England her new ally – and Mal Catlyn his soul.

File Under: Fantasy [ Midsummer Magic | Skraylings | Double Trouble | Comedy of Terrors ]

In The Alchemist of Souls, Anne Lyle has created a fascinating, richly detailed version of Elizabethan England filled with intrigue, politicking, plenty of espionage and, above all, engaging and interesting characters. With beautiful prose, Lyle has easily written one of the best debuts of the year.

American/Washington Political Thrillers

Hi everyone – just a quick post to ask for recommendations. I’m interested in reading more thrillers, and I particularly like American political thrillers with a focus on Washington. In the past few weeks, I’ve really been in the mood for this type of novel, so I’d really like some suggestions.

Here are the authors I already know and like:

- Vince Flynn

- Brad Thor

- Kyle Mills

- Stuart Woods

- David Baldacci

- Mike Lawson

- Alex Berenson

- Andrew Britton (R.I.P.)

Can anybody recommend any others?

I’ve tried one of Steve Martini’s, but I found it quite slow – anybody know if they improve? Also, I’m going to check out Philip Margolin, Richard Hawke and Margaret Truman.

Thanks!

“Kill Alex Cross”, James Patterson (Grand Central/Century)

A terrorist threat, and the President’s children have been kidnapped

Detective Alex Cross is one of the first on the scene of the biggest case he’s ever been part of. The President’s son and daughter have been abducted from their school - an impossible crime, but somehow the kidnapper has done it. Alex does everything he can but is shunted to the fringes of the investigation. Someone powerful doesn’t want Cross too close.

A deadly contagion in the DC water supply threatens to cripple the capital, and Alex sees the looming shape of the most devastating attack the United States has ever experienced. He is already working flat-out on the abduction, and this massive assault pushes Cross completely over the edge.

With each hour that passes, the chance of finding the children alive diminishes. In an emotional private meeting, the First Lady asks Alex to please save her kids. But even the highest security clearance doesn't get him any closer to the kidnapper – and Alex makes a desperate decision that goes against everything he believes in.

I’ve read all of Patterson’s Alex Cross novels, and I’d been a little disappointed with some of the later instalments of the series. However, much to my pleasant surprise, Kill Alex Cross turned out to be a stand-out novel, and perhaps the best since Four Blind Mice (which is the point after which I think they started to lose quality). If you’re a fan of the series, and like me haven’t loved the more recent instalments, this should help you reacquire your faith in Patterson as a writer. It’s not as good as the first eight novels, but it shows some of the qualities that made his earlier novels so good and addictive.

“Throne of the Crescent Moon” by Saladin Ahmed (DAW)

An intriguing debut, from a great new voice in fantasy

The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, land of djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, Khalifs and killers, is at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms. It is up to a handful of heroes to learn the truth behind these killings: Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, Raseed bas Raseed, Zamia Badawi.

Together with a handful of allies, they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince’s brewing revolution are connected. The companions must race against time – and struggle against their own misgivings – to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.

The buzz surrounding Throne of the Cresent Moon has been going on for quite some time. I had planned on reading and reviewing the novel much sooner than now, but I accidentally forgot it at home when I went on holiday. Needless to say, it was the first book I read upon my return, and I found it to be quite satisfying. It’s a different type of fantasy, with a different focus and style to what you might be used to. It remains, however, very well-written and engaging throughout.